The social side of social media
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As I am sure you are aware, dating giant Tinder is one of the most recent apps to join the crew, and has quickly become one of the most popular dating apps in the world. Individuals find a 'match' by simply swiping right on their picture. In fact I struggle to think of one of my friends who hasn't downloaded Tinder – it has simultaneously become both a must-have app and something you hide away in the utilities folder of your phone.
Even the latest gaming craze, Pokémon Go, has expanded to the dating field. The app has now been downloaded by more than 50 million users, overtaking that of Tinder, and has been praised for its endeavours to get kids out of the house and learning about the outside world around them. With vlogging sensations such as Zoe Sugg and Dan Howell voicing their enthusiasm for the game, young people are encouraged to follow the crowd – but for once, under the light of the sun, rather than that of their iPhone screen.Pokémon Go now has more searches on Google than 'porn', which summarises the efforts of people to go out and search for what they want, rather than relying on technology to bring it to them.
In light of this Tinder has now added a new feature, aptly named 'Tinder Social' in which users can create groups of friends and share their plans for the evening, and invite other friendship groups along. They claim this will create a more "real-time experience" for users, and help them to achieve the "squad goals" that young people should aspire to, according to social networks and popular memes. The feature encourages users to meet their matches face-to-face, rather than getting to know them through gifs and suggestive emojis.
It seems that media creators have finally grasped the purpose of social media, and have begun to emphasise the actual, rather than the virtual world.